AT&T Investment Delivers Improved Wireless Network Experience in Traverse City

Network Investments to Date Providing Area Customers with Enhanced Voice Calling Experience.

AT&T* released Traverse City network investment and expansion details that have contributed to customers benefiting from the nation�s fastest 3G network and an unsurpassed low local dropped call rate � one of the most common measures of wireless performance � according to drive test data collected by third-party independent wireless engineering firm Global Wireless Solutions (GWS).

�AT&T is committed to providing our customers with the very best possible network experience to complement our line-up of the most popular wireless devices that is unmatched in the industry,� said AT&T Michigan Vice President and General Manager Brian Ducharme. �Since 2007 through the third quarter of 2009 we have invested more than $11.5 million in the Traverse City network to advance our goal of providing customers with a wireless experience that is second to none.�

�This kind of private investment is critical to our state and national goals of connecting more citizens to advanced communications services,� said U.S. Rep. Dave Camp. �These services are critical to our state, our nation and all citizens, and maintaining a positive environment for investment in this country is critical to this effort.�

AT&T supports twice the number of smartphone customers than any other U.S. provider. AT&T invested billions of dollars in its wireless network companywide in 2009. Traverse City area network enhancements include initiatives to improve speed, capacity and coverage.

AT&T 2007-2009 network enhancements in Traverse City to date include:

* Added 3G service to nearly 30 cell sites;
* Completed various network capacity upgrades to area cell sites and switches to support higher volumes of voice and data traffic and to expand wireless coverage;
* Doubled Radio Network Control switching capability to ensure better processing speeds;
* Doubled backhaul capacity to cell sites, expanding the critical connections that deliver traffic from a cell site into the global IP backbone network, helping meet the unprecedented demand for mobile connectivity;
* Added remote tilting capabilities to several cell sites so engineers can more easily optimize cell sites for best possible performance; and
* Upgraded power performance at multiple sites to improve reliability during any possible power outages.

�The future of communications is wireless and I applaud our legislators, both in Lansing and Washington, D.C., for allowing us the flexibility to continue to invest in our networks in order to provide our customers with the best experience possible,� said James A. Murray, president, AT&T Michigan. �As we continue to invest in our network, more and more people across the state will have faster access to wireless broadband enabling the Michigan economy to get back on track.�

AT&T recently completed a software upgrade at 3G cell sites nationwide that prepares the nation�s fastest 3G network for even faster speeds. The deployment of High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 technology is the first of multiple initiatives in AT&T�s network enhancement strategy designed to provide customers with the best possible mobile broadband experience, both today and well into the future. Faster 3G speeds will become available as AT&T combines the new technology with our second initiative during 2010 and 2011 to dramatically increase the number of high-speed backhaul connections to cell sites, primarily with fiber-optic connections, adding capacity from cell sites to the AT&T backbone network.

As part of AT&T�s ongoing commitment to deliver the best possible wireless experience, AT&T recently announced the launch of AT&T Mark the Spot, an iPhone app that enables customers to quickly and easily provide feedback on AT&T network performance in a specific location. The new AT&T Mark the Spot app adds to AT&T�s existing network performance data to further fine-tune network investment planning and prioritization moving forward. The app, available today as a free download via the iTunes App Store, enables users to provide valuable feedback with as little as two button clicks.

The GWS data confirms AT&T has a national call retainability rate of 98.68 percent and the nation�s fastest 3G network.